Genetic diversityGenetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It ranges widely, from the number of species to differences within species, and can be correlated to the span of survival for a species. It is distinguished from genetic variability, which describes the tendency of genetic characteristics to vary. Genetic diversity serves as a way for populations to adapt to changing environments.
EvolutionChange in the heritable characteristics of populationsEvolution is the change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It happens when individuals in a population vary in their genetic characteristics and in the numbers of their surviving offspring.
SpeciesA species (pl. species) is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. It can be defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour, or ecological niche.
HeredityHeredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of genetic information from parents to their offspring. It may occur through sexual or asexual reproduction, where new cells are produced from either individual cells underdoing cell division or two cells combining genomes, respectively. Through heredity, genetic variations in populations can accumulate and cause species to evolve by natural selection. The study of heredity in biology is genetics.
Struggle for existenceThe concept of the struggle for existence (or struggle for life) concerns the competition or battle for resources needed to live. It can refer to human society, or to organisms in nature. The concept is ancient, and the term struggle for existence was in use by the end of the 18th century.
PhenotypeIn genetics, the phenotype (from Ancient Greek (phaínō)'to appear, show' and (túpos)'mark, type') is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers all traits of an organism other than its genome, however transitory: the organism's morphology (physical form and structure), its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological properties whether reversible or irreversible, and all its behavior, such as a peacock's display.
Charles DarwinEnglish naturalist and biologist (1809–1882)Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended from a common ancestor is now generally accepted and considered a fundamental scientific concept.
Population (biology)In biology, a population of organisms is a group of individuals of the same species, defined by a discontinuity or from other groups of individuals in certain characteristics, such as living area, genetic attributes, demographic structure. Among biologists, the term definition varies, in some cases significantly, and sometimes those variations can be confusing. There are also plenty of other terms to describe groups of individuals if no clear is present.
OntogenyOntogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to the study of the entirety of an organism's lifespan. Ontogeny is the developmental history of an organism within its own lifetime, as distinct from phylogeny, which refers to the evolutionary history of a species.OrganismAn organism is any living thing that functions as an individual. Such a definition raises more problems than it solves, not least because the concept of an individual is also difficult. Several criteria, few of which are widely accepted, have been proposed to define what constitutes an organism. Among the most common is that an organism has autonomous reproduction, growth, and metabolism. This would exclude viruses, even though they evolve like organisms.
Selective breedingSelective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which, typically animal or plant, males and females will sexually reproduce and have offspring together. Domesticated animals are known as breeds, normally bred by a professional breeder, while domesticated plants are known as varieties, cultigens, cultivars, or breeds.
GenotypeThe genotype of an organism is its complete set of genetic material. Genotype can also be used to refer to the alleles or variants an individual carries in a particular gene or genetic location. The number of alleles an individual can have of a specific gene depends on the number of copies of each chromosome found in that species, also referred to as ploidy.
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